Innovative research and discovery rely on a network of individuals who step up to the plate every day in the pursuit of advancing scientific knowledge. Postdoctoral scholars occupy a unique position in this research ecosystem, working in established labs while also trying to gain new skills to transition into their next roles in academia or industry. To support this trainee population, the University of Colorado Anschutz has both a robust Postdoctoral Office and an active Postdoctoral Association (PDA).
Gresch has served in several roles on the PDA Executive Council, most recently as president. In 2023, she started her tenure as a postdoc in the Department of Bioengineering on the CU Anschutz campus in the Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes. While her department affiliation is on the downtown Denver campus, she physically works on the medical campus. This distinction led to the first topic of advocacy presented on her winning poster.
When she had asked for the paid parental leave outlined in CU Anschutz policy, she was denied. Her affiliation put her under CU Denver’s policy.
“We have the same job code as postdocs, but the policies did not align,” Gresch said.
Experiencing this discrepancy, she turned to advocacy as president of the PDA and lobbied for an aligned policy between the campuses. Ultimately, the policy was successfully updated.
The second presentation topic for Gresch’s poster regarded postdoc pay.
“What we aimed for was that every postdoc gets paid according to their experience level, because that was not included in the policy at that time. It was just saying that every postdoc has to be paid the [National Institute of Health] minimum,” Gresch said. “They also included that it's highly recommended that every postdoc can have 10% of their time for professional development activities.”
These real, tangible wins for postdocs impressed this year’s poster judges and added to a track record of excellence for the PDA chapter.
“We have one of the leading postdoc associations in the country, which is consistently reinforced every time we go and present at the NPA,” Dr. Bruce Mandt, associate dean of the Graduate School and director of the Postdoctoral and Career Development Offices, said. “Whether it is engagement activities, the session they ran at a conference a couple of years ago about shadowing a postdoc and building engagement, to the policy advocacy and success in extending paid parental leave to postdocs and advocating for more supportive salary policies. They are leading on every front and that has been recognized by the multiple poster awards that we have.”
Even so, Gresch said she was surprised at how well her poster was received in California.
“Everyone I talked to was really encouraging me. I was asked to be on the advocacy team of the National Postdoc Association since I have some experience now, which was, for me, the best recognition,” Gresch said.
At the conference, another university postdoctoral office director was so impressed by the CU Anschutz | CU Denver representation that they reached out to Mandt about the work being done. He said this has led to an invitation to join a regional Rocky Mountain postdoc group.
“Our Postdoc Association not only cares for postdocs at this university and ensures that we're building community and creating supportive policies, but they are leading nationally when they share out these best practices,” Mandt said.
The next opportunity for the broader campus community to support postdocs will be Postdoctoral Research Day 2026 on July 9. The theme this year is “The Postdoc Collective” and will highlight the power of collaboration in research.